Seend & Bulkington

Saturday 29th April Seend Community Centre, Noon-11pm Book Early!

April 2017

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DIARY DATES FOR LATE MARCH 25th Bulkington Soup Lunch, Bulkington Village Hall, 12noon-2pm 25th Ninebarrow folk duo, Seend Community Centre, 7 for 7.30-pm 26th Mothering Sunday 28th Seend Parish Council meeting, upstairs in Community Centre, 7.30pm 29th Nosh and Natter Lunch Club, Community Centre 12 for 12.30 pm 30th Bulkington Ladies Group (not 23rd as advertised in March Spotlight) 31st Eric Lepine‟s Pop-Up Restaurant, Pavilion, 7pm. 31st Deadline for early-bird discount on Seend Club Membership 2017-18

DIARY DATES FOR APRIL 1st Grand Spring Quiz Night, Community Centre, 7.45pm 2nd Café Church, Seend, 11am 3rd Closing date for Seend Parish Clerk vacancy 3rd Mobile Library: 9.40 am Seend The Lye; 10.05 am Seend Cleeve phone box; 11.05 am Well Inn Car Park, Bulkington 5th Seend Shuttle for Salisbury (call 01225 706526 to book by Monday) 5th Buzzzz Group, 33 Littleton Willows, Semington, 4pm 7th Coffee Morning, Seend Community Centre, 10.30 am 7th Seend Playgroup Easter Bonnet Parade, egg hunt, coffee and hot-cross-buns 10th Link AGM, Pavilion, 7.30pm 14th Good Friday Workshops, Seend Church, 10am 15th LAST DATE FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO MAY SPOTLIGHT 17th Great Bulkington Railway running, 1-4.30pm 18th Deadline for interest in Seend entering Best Kept Village Competition 19th Nosh and Natter Lunch Club, Community Centre 12 from 12.30 pm 20th Seend WI Craft Afternoon, Pavilion, 2-4pm 23rd Seend Ramblers April walk; details to be confirmed 25th Seend Parish Council meeting, upstairs in Community Centre, 7.30pm 27th Seend Parish Neighbourhood Steering Group Committee Meeting, Pavilion 29th Seend Beer Festival, Seend Community Centre, midday-11pm

DIARY DATES FOR EARLY MAY 4th Parish Council elections 5th Coffee morning, Seend Community Centre, 10.30am 6th RBL Lecture and Supper, Community Centre, 7.30pm 16th Annual Parish Meeting, Pavilion, 7.30pm

Newcomer to Seend? Call in at the shop/PO and ask for your copy of the Welcome booklet, which tells you all you need to know about the village.

Visit www.seend.org.uk and the Spotlight facebook page: www.facebook.com/seendspotlight

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Welcome to April Spotlight Old hands know that you don‟t have to be a real-ale obsessive to enjoy the Seend Beer Festival on April 29th. Yes, there are plenty of real ales and ciders to enjoy, but just as important are the friendly atmosphere (child-friendly in the afternoon), food and music. Other village events are listed inside, including Easter church activities, plus a further Shuttle timetable revision.

Apologies to those contributors we have had to edit this month; it can be a struggle to keep the contents of Spotlight down to a manageable 24 pages of editorial!

There is sad news about a sheep-worrying incident in the village (see page 5). Dog walkers are reminded to keep their animals on the lead when near farm animals – especially at lambing time. This particular event appears to involve a dog with no previous record of aggression toward farm animals, being walked along a track adjacent to, not crossing, a field, so you really can‟t be too careful.

We have recently had one of those sad clusters of deaths in our community, including two figures who have been of great importance in the development of Seend Social Club as was and Seend Community Centre as it is now: Eric Akerman back in the early days, and Max Bolton over the last decade. A tribute to Max is on page 3.

PARISH COUNCIL ELECTIONS Parish council elections have been set for 4th May. Anyone interested in becoming a parish councillor should go to the Wiltshire Council website for more information. The Clerk has to remain impartial and does not get involved in the election process.

Spotlight Contacts: Contributions for the May edition (copy by Saturday 15th April please) can be emailed to [email protected] or delivered to Seend Post Office. Editors: Tessa Doe (01380 828617) and Sue Isaac (828461). Please note that you should always send emailed items to the Spotlight address, not to Sue or Tessa – even if they have emailed you from their own email address – just in case they are not around. Joanna Goddard (828488) organises printing Mondays and also types up the items left at Seend PO. Fiona Johnson is the contact for delivery (828401) and Chris

Brooker (828047) for advertising. Do let Joanna or Fiona know if you can help. Lost emails: Emails to Spotlight sometimes go astray for no obvious reason. If email correspondents don‟t receive an acknowledgement by the end of the Monday after the Spotlight deadline, please ring Tessa or Sue (see above) to check if all is well. And please note the following. When sending emails to [email protected] please include the word SPOTLIGHT in uppercase as the first word of the Subject. This will help the editorial team sifting through all the messages stopped by the SPAM filter, which sometimes include genuine messages for SPOTLIGHT. PDFs: We cannot normally use PDF files of posters etc as they require a specific shape and space. Word documents give us the flexibility to adapt your wording and pictures to fit the space available. Thanks.

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Village events in March and beyond (For Bulkington events see pages 11-12)

First Friday Coffee Morning in the Lounge at Seend Community Centre From 10.30am on Friday 7th April. Proper coffee (or tea) and home-made cake for just £2. All welcome. ______

Nosh & Natter Lunch Club Wednesday 19th April 12 noon for 12.30pm in Seend Community Centre Please call 01380 828638 to book your place in advance. ______Grand Spring Quiz Night with Quizmasters Graham and Tony Saturday April 1st at 7.45pm in Seend Community Centre Teams of up to four – entry £2 per head Prizes – bar and interval snacks – envelope draw To book call 01380 828617 and gain extra nibbles on your table! ______

The 17th Seend Beer Festival Saturday 29th April-12 noon till 11pm A great range of real ales and ciders, food from Padfield Porkies and live music from Richie Triangle and George Wilding in the afternoon and Indecision in the evening. Tickets (£12) available from Seend Shop/PO, The Brewery Inn & the Community Centre. They will also be available online - with booking fee - and from Devizes Books from 1st April. (Non-beer-drinkers tickets sold on the door only). Book early as we usually sell out! www.seendbeerfestival.co.uk ______

Grandma Flew Spitfires The story of the Civilians who got to fly the King’s Aeroplanes! A talk by John Webster, Secretary, the Air Transport Auxiliary Association. £10.00 Including a light supper. Tickets only in advance from Robin Heatley 01380 828491, Marion Whitehead 01380 828612 or Seend PO. ______

SEEND OPEN GARDENS th th 17 /18 June from 1:00pm - 6:00 pm. Offers of help with teas and car parking would be much appreciated. Further details to follow in May Spotlight. Contact Tina Yockney on 01380 827139 for further information if required. ______

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SEEND SUMMER BALL 1st July in Seend Community Centre Music till late and a three course meal for £25/head. Book early if you don't want to be disappointed. For information, contact Ric or Jan on 828687 or email [email protected] ______

ANNOUNCEMENTS (Please let us know of any births, marriages, deaths, special birthdays,

thanks, information etc that you would like to see included here.)

MAX BOLTON 13/11/1942 – 09/03/2017 Max Bolton was a well-known figure in Seend and not just because of his considerable height, but because of his commitment to the village and in particular his support to the Community Centre. Treasurer for over ten years, he was much more than a balance sheet man. His overview of the needs of the Centre, his quiet management of small tasks and his calm administration of a complex financial system were pretty much a case-study on how to perform the role. Max‟s gentle but sharp wit, his patience, his kindness, his adaptability, his exacting, scrupulous approach and his willingness to engage in debate were qualities beyond price. All those who knew him have lost a genuine friend. Max‟s final illness was distressingly fast and many of us won‟t have had an opportunity to say goodbye to him in person. His funeral will be at 11.30am at the Crematorium on 31st March and afterwards at his beloved Community Centre. All are welcome. Hatty Stafford Charles, Chairman, Seend Community Centre Mgt Committee

MRS. JOYCE (JOY) RANSTED passed peacefully away in the Pilgrims Hospices Thanet on Friday 17th February 2017 aged 93 years, just one month short of the 94th Birthday, with her daughters Rosalind and Anne by her side. I am sure there are still some people who will remember her when she lived in the village. Our parents came to Seend in 1946 when Dad was posted to R.A.F. Melksham (Dad was born in Five Oak Green, Tonbridge, Kent and Mum in Worcester and they met in London during the war). They lived first in the Cleeve, where I was born and in 1951 they bought a cottage and moved to Sells Green, where Anne was born. Mum was widowed in January 1972 when Dad died very suddenly aged 51 from a Heart Attack. After 60 years in Seend Mum moved to live near Anne in Westgate on Sea, Kent in December 2006 and she continued to talk about life and the people of Seend right up until the last week of her life. Rosalind Banfied (nee Ransted).

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Village Leaflet Some interest has been expressed in having a leaflet that describes the church, chapel, historic buildings, fine walks and the views around the Parish. Many canal boat holiday makers walk to the village from the canal, but are not sure where to go once they reach the top of Rusty Lane. If a leaflet was developed and made available in the post office, local pubs and the church, it would help promote the village in a positive way. The Parish Council would be interested to hear your views on this idea and whether there would be any volunteers willing to help produce such a leaflet. Please email: [email protected] with your views. Handyman help wanted The parish council is looking for a volunteer handyman/lady who would be willing to help the council maintain and repair the benches and noticeboards that are placed around the parish. Anyone interested in helping, please contact the clerk on 07706

850859 or [email protected] Land Valuer Required The Parish Council needs to get a valuation carried out for the Allotment land it owns. There is no hidden agenda behind this and absolutely no planned sale. As part of the parish council‟s adherence to the new audit and transparency regime, we need to have the allotment land valued. Rather than pay a costly valuation fee out of parish funds, the council is hoping that there may be someone in the village whose profession would enable them to offer such a valuation service, preferably free of charge? If so, please get in touch with the Clerk by email: [email protected]

Seend Parish Clerk – Mrs. Sue Bond I am sorry to inform you that Sue Bond has tendered her resignation as Seend Parish Council Clerk for personal reasons. On behalf of the Parish Council we are very sorry that Sue will be leaving us at the end of April. Sue has worked diligently and conscientiously since taking up this post last year and we thank her for all that she has contributed to the work of the Council. We hope that we can appoint someone by the middle of April to allow for a hand-over period. Please see the advertisement for the post, below.

Tony Murch, Chair of Seend Parish Council

SEEND PARISH COUNCIL, WILTSHIRE Vacancy for PARISH CLERK AND RESPONSIBLE FINANCIAL OFFICER Salary LC1 SCP 18 – 22, currently £9.299 - £10.632 per hour depending on experience and qualifications; 9 hours per week, working from home, including attendance at evening meetings Seend Parish Council is looking to appoint a Parish Clerk & RFO with the drive, determination and organisational skills to manage a varied workload. In addition to managing the day-to-day work of the Parish Council, the post holder will work

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closely with Councillors to plan and implement the aims and objectives of the Council. Seend has a population of 1,132 (2011 census). The Parish Council consists of 11 Councillors, and its Precept is currently £12,141, and it owns and rents allotment gardens in the village. Parish Council meetings are held in the evening, on the last Tuesday of each month, and there may be additional meetings from time to time. Applicants must have administrative and financial experience, ideally in local government; the ability to deliver projects on time and within budget and be able to demonstrate enthusiasm for working with residents and local organisations. For the Job Description & Application Form please email [email protected] Please note, applicants must complete and return the application form. Closing date for all applications: Monday 3rd April, 2017. Interviews will be in the period 10th to 13th April, 2017 inclusive.

SEEND FETE 2017 Whilst the delights of the Seend Fete 2017 are coming together nicely we have sadly had to say Goodbye to two of our committee members, Nancy and Andrew, who have moved away from the village. So if you are still thinking you would like to be part of organising this great event, we have more than enough room for some volunteers to come and join us, give us a call on 01380 828970. Also Julia and Trevor will not be running the “biggest white elephant stall in the West” this year, so we are looking for someone to pick up this particular stall. If you feel you are a budding Paul Martin, enjoy car boot sales, or just like rummaging in interesting and varied items, we would be really pleased to hear from you, again give us a call on 01380 828970. The fete continues to evolve year after year, just as the use of the Lye Field does. If this area of the village is important to you, please help and support us in this annual fundraiser. Jo Vaux

SHEEP WORRYING Fact. Sheep worrying by dogs has caused the death of more than 1,200 sheep this year. Information from The NFU Mutual. This happens in Seend too. I am a sheep farmer and I hand rear most of our flock. Candyturf the ewe, pregnant with twins, was attacked and is now dead. Candyturf was not just a sheep; she helped children locally and from further afield to overcome their fears of farm animals. Candyturf was due to meet the Seend playgroup children on Friday 10th March; luckily Robyn stepped in for her first performance. Please can I urge dog owners and walkers to keep dogs on leads and under control when around farm animals. Farmers are urged to report attacks to Terena Plowright, founder of SheepWatch UK. http://www.terena.co.uk/sheepwatch-uk.html

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SEEND GARDENING CLUB It was with much sadness that the decision was taken during the last Annual General Meeting to close this popular village club. Over more than 40 years it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the Committee and find officers to fulfil the duties needed to run the club successfully. At the time of writing we are hopeful that some aspects of the club may be co-opted by other existing village concerns. The monies remaining in the Treasurer‟s account have been divided between the Seend Village Fund and the Holy Cross Church Appeal Fund. We cannot let this moment pass with recording a sincere „thank you‟ to all the past Presidents, Officers and Members who have given time and services over the years. In days back in excess of 70 members attended regularly and we have heard interesting and inspiring speakers, made numerous visits to gardens and have also given support to other village activities. A highlight in the memories of most members is surely the many wonderful trips to the continent and here we must record the debt we owe to Tony Hill for organising and leading these „Magical Mystery Tours‟! Happy Days ….. David Raby-Cox, President

ANNUAL PARISH MEETING The date is set for Tuesday 16th May at 7.30pm in the Irene Usher Hall. This is an open meeting and all residents are welcome to attend. All Seend clubs and societies are invited to present an annual report of their activities.

Road Repairs in Seend Cleeve Seend Cleeve road was closed in February for a day, whilst patching repairs were carried out. There has also recently been some clearing at the edges of the road. This is all in preparation for further work to be carried out. There is no fixed date for this. The following is the response that the Clerk received from Wiltshire Council Highways department: “The work planned for the urban section of Seend Cleeve is a continuation of the surface dressing that was carried outside the Barge last year. The treatment used last year is not suitable for urban environments where access and parking which involve power steering manoeuvers would breakdown the surface. Therefore, a different process is being used. The work that has been carried out recently is all preparatory work for the surfacing work which will take place in the summer. The work is purely surfacing work with no construction element to it and so there is no planned kerbing work as part of the project.” The parish council should be notified when the work will be carried out. If enough notice, it will be then be put in Spotlight. For any issues relating to the Parish of Seend please contact: The Clerk – Mrs Sue Bond, Seend Parish Council, Tel: 07706 850859 (answerphone) Email: [email protected]. Please note the clerk does not work full time, so will respond as soon as possible within office hours.

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CPR LIFE-SAVING TRAINING IN SEEND You can still call Mark Wood on 07810 508606 to secure your place on one of the free CPR training sessions organised by Mark on behalf of the Parish Council. ______

CPRE’s Best Kept Village Competition 2017 If there are any organisations, clubs or individuals in the village that would like us to take part, please get in touch with the Clerk. The Parish Council cannot do this without support from village groups. The entry deadline is 18th April.

Holy Cross Flower Arrangers Earlier in the year we appealed for new Flower arrangers. Since then we have welcomed two! We thank them for joining our team. Would anyone else like to volunteer? (It really does pay to advertise in Spotlight.) M.Coley 828189

SEEND PARISH NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN STEERING GROUP Call Up: This month we are asking you to become aware just how important your involvement in this planning process is. And that means you! The role of the Steering Group is to canvass your views on where and in what density any new housing development should take place. The Neighbourhood Plan will document those views following prescribed guidelines within the Wiltshire Core Strategy, and come up with a final document based on your views. It is then up to the inhabitants (you) to vote in a referendum as to whether the final Neighbourhood Plan should be accepted. Some of you will already be aware of Aster‟s ambitions for a large housing development on the field north of the Lye. There are other potential building sites that may prove more suitable for a village of our size. We are working on a survey that will canvas your opinions of the sites once we are clear which of them are deemed suitable. In the next few months, there will be posters around the village suggesting how you can feed us your views, and also a comprehensive survey of your attitudes towards building styles and other such details. Don’t wait: There are already ways in which you can be involved. Keep track of our activities by looking at the website www.seendparishplan.org and post comments by emailing the address given. Or attend one of our committee meetings: we could do with additional members so contact any of us if you think you would like to be involved. Dates of the next meetings are as follows: 27th April, 25th May. Or just come and listen to the discussions about how we approach the issues that may affect you. Carola Thorpe on behalf of the S.P.N.P. Steering Group ______CHURCH AND CHAPEL NEWS

Café Church on Sunday April 2nd at 11.00am at Seend Singing and stories for all the families in Seend, Bulkington and Poulshot.

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GOOD FRIDAY WORKSHOPS Join us for fun and craft activities for children and families based around the Easter story in Seend Church on Good Friday (14th April) at 10.00 am. The morning ends with a short service followed by drinks and Hot Cross Buns! Tell your friends The View from My Window March came in like a lion, and at the time of writing I sincerely hope it will go out like a lamb. I don‟t know where that saying comes from; perhaps there is someone out there who can enlighten me. Looking back over many years it does seem to have been the case, or is this where memory and myth become confused? The oral tradition used to be so important and so well understood. Before the time when people could read or write they depended on stories being passed down, and of course stained glass windows in churches were put there not just as beautiful artifacts, but a means whereby people could learn about bible stories. It behoves us all to try to sort out fact from fiction, and not dismiss the bible because some things don‟t stand up, for instance time scales in the Old Testament. It‟s quite interesting when thinking about the creation story (and by the way all the great faiths have creations stories which are not that dissimilar) to replace the number of days of creation with centuries or millenia and then it all fits; certainly the order of creation does. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty ; darkness was over the surface of the deep, and God said let there be light… and there was evening and there was morning –the first day” , and then there‟s the second day , and the third day or millenium etc... Whether or not you have a religious faith, these early scriptures are very interesting , and its amazing that material that was passed down so long ago, and written down somewhere between one and two thousand years BC, is still read and known and thought about today, and has so much to teach us. I call that, the miracle of the bible. That brings me back to what I was writing about last month; Jesus , being tempted by the devil, or Satan, or evil spirits or whatever you want to call them , and the fact that he overcame the temptations. Whether or not you believe that the devil took Jesus to the top of the temple and tempted him to throw himself down, or to the top of a high mountain and showed him the whole world , those geographical things are not important. What is important is that Jesus the man as well as son of God, was tempted as a man, and in his humanity did not give in to the human temptations of pride greed, and power. Because of that he was able to show us by example how to live, and to show us there is another way; a way in which we can be at peace in this life and the next. He showed us that the nature of the Almighty creator is love, and if we can accept that, then our own lives will be more loving and forgiving. All a bit heavy , you may be thinking for a magazine article, but it is Lent , and very soon now it will be Easter , the greatest day in the Christian year, and why, because Jesus overcame all those temptations , showed us that God loves us so much he was prepared to suffer for us, ( and that includes being betrayed by his friends), and actually died so that we would be forgiven by God. And this is where we separate fact from fiction again. Jesus did not stay dead. He went on; he appeared to hundreds

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in bodily form , and then after he disappeared from the bodily reality , he goes on being with us today and every day. So have a wonderful Easter. The fast will be over, the thanksgiving will begin, and I do hope you will all celebrate with families and friends. Come to church and see the expression of God the creator in all the wonderful spring flowers, and the music and the singing and the joy of being together. It‟s much more boring, dare I say lifeless, staying at home. Jane Knowles. If you want to hear the full story of Holy Week, come to Keevil Church on Palm Sunday, April 9th at 3pm when there will be a performance of Stainer’s Crucifixion , given by Voice Box, (a well-known choir from Witney) and the Keevil Singers . During the time of the interregnum, if anyone needs to speak to a priest, please ring me.

CHURCH SERVICES IN APRIL 2017 The Benefice of Holy Cross, Seend, Christ Church, Bulkington and St. Peter’s, Poulshot You are welcome to worship at any of the services in any of the churches in the Benefice. There is something for everyone!

Sunday 2nd April 2017 (5th Sunday of Lent) 8.00 am Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer) at Seend 9.15 am Parish Eucharist at Poulshot 11.00 am Café Church at Seend 6.00 pm Evening Prayer (Traditional) at Bulkington

Sunday 9th April 2017 (Palm Sunday) 9.15 am Parish Eucharist at Seend 11.00 am Parish Eucharist at Bulkington 6.00 pm Evensong (Traditional) at Poulshot

Thursday 13th April 2017 (Maundy Thursday) 7.30 pm Benefice Eucharist at Poulshot

Friday 14th April 2017 (Good Friday) 9.30 am Said Matins & The Litany at Poulshot 10.00 am Good Friday Children‟s Workshops at Seend 2.00 pm An Hour at the Cross at Bulkington

Sunday 16th April 2017 (Easter Sunday) 8.00 am Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer) at Seend 9.15 am Festal Eucharist at Bulkington 9.15 am Festal Eucharist (Traditional) at Poulshot 11.00 am Festal Eucharist at Seend

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Sunday 23rd April 2017 (Easter 2) 9.15 am Matins (Traditional) at Poulshot 11.00 am Parish Eucharist at Seend 6.00 pm Parish Eucharist at Bulkington (followed by APCM) Sunday 30th April 2017 (Easter 3) 10.00 am Benefice service at Seend (with Bishop Ed) Every Tuesday at 9.00 there is a short Benefice service of Matins (BCP) at Poulshot church.

Benefice BUZZZZ Group will meet on Wednesday 5th April at 4pm led by Rev Jane Knowles at Sue Noad‟s home, 33 Littleton Willows, Semington (tel. 870343) Everyone is welcome to this informal and pleasant group.

SEEND METHODIST CHURCH

Services for April 2017

Sunday 9th April – 10 am: Holy Communion with Rev Wendy Tucker rd Sunday 23 April – 10.30am: Villages Together at Whitley Methodist Chapel

Everyone welcome to any service.

Thank you, Anne Salter

Dear Friends, How much chocolate will there be in your house this Easter? Adrian Plass gives this tongue in cheek definition of Easter Eggs in one of his books - “ edible reminders of the resurrection made of chocolate, filled with sweets and wrapped in shiny coloured paper, just as Our Lord was.” He also defines the Cross - “absurdly sentimentalised instrument of torture and death. Chances of Jesus having a secret hankering to get back to the „old rugged cross‟ are really rather small. The point is emphasised if we imagine eating hot-garotte buns at Easter time.” Bacon Sandwiches and Salvation: An A-Z of the Christian Life, by Adrian Plass, pub. 2007 Authentic Media Sometimes it can seem a bit bizarre, all the trappings around Easter, the eggs, lambs, bunnies, crosses, flowers. Nowadays the shops that sell homeware and gifts have been trying for ages to tempt us to put up pink and yellow bunting and hang up Easter decorations that were definitely not a part of the Easters of my childhood. You might have painted a hard-boiled egg or made a miniature Easter garden, but that was all. There were chocolate eggs available for a few weeks before, and hot cross buns were only sold around Easter, not all year round like now. (Oh dear, I seem to be developing that awful old person habit of moaning how „it wasn‟t like that in my day‟ and „the young don‟t know they‟re born with all that chocolate‟!). And yet, despite the awfulness of the manner of Jesus‟ death – one of the worst and most deliberately shameful methods human power has come up with – we are celebrating and commemorating something awe-some in the true sense of the word. We are

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remembering the ongoing work of redemption of the whole of creation by our God who loves us so much that God sent God‟s only son to be human like us, to live among us, to experience human life in all its joys and sorrows, its loving relationships and betrayals and its pain and death. We are celebrating that there is ultimate hope in this bruised, battered and broken world – that there is redemption for the worst of our human traits – that we are each of us loved beyond all human imagining. As you eat your eggs and see the new life of spring around us, be reminded that although the stories of Holy Week involve betrayal and torture and pain and death – the worst we humans can afflict on each other – the story of Easter Sunday, of Jesus being alive once more, is that love triumphs over all of that and even over death itself. It is a great and wonderful mystery and we would love you to come and share with us in the chapel and the church as we once more explore those stories together. God bless, and don‟t eat too much chocolate all at once! Wendy <>< Wendy Tucker, Minister for Bromham Calne and Seend Methodist Churches ______BULKINGTON NEWS

The Mobile Library will visit the car-park of The Well on Monday 3rd April, 11.05- 11.30am. Please support this; it really could be a case of use it or lose it.

BULKINGTON LADIES’ GROUP At our planning meeting in February, we managed to make a draft programme for the year. If there is anyone thinking of joining our group and would like a programme, please get in touch. Visitors are always welcome. Our meeting for March is on Thursday 30th, and not the 23rd as stated in the March Spotlight. I am sorry for the mistake. Sue Mason, a local florist will be making some flower arrangements which will be raffled at the end of the evening. Our meeting in April will be on the 27th when Jean Collens will speak about “Life as I see it”. This will be a collection of amusing anecdotes and will make an entertaining and relaxing evening. There will be the usual raffle and light refreshments. Liz Futter 828485 Angela Read 828925 BULKINGTON VILLAGE HALL Once we have started Lent, the days lengthen and we look forward to Easter and the first outing of Bulkington Railway. I have to mention the flowers, welcoming all our visitors. Thelma will soon be planting up the boxes with fresh flowers. Before that, we‟ll be replacing the old broken ones, so that when Easter comes, we‟ll be ready with a colourful display. Having had a Florist Extraordinaire to show us how it‟s done, we‟ll be even more aware of the Village Hall flowers. Spring comes every year, but every year manages to surprise and delight us. Happy Easter! Angela Read, Chairman

Soup Lunch – Bulkington Village Hall, Saturday 25th March – 12-2pm. Proceeds to Devizes Food Bank and Bulkington PCC. Tickets £5/£3

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THE TEA, CRAFT AND CHAT SOCIAL GROUP will meet from 2-4pm on Monday, 3rd April at 46A Bulkington (Phyll Yarde 828116) Bring your own craft item or leave it at home and just come and chat!

The church hosted Bulkington Village Lunch takes place on Wednesday, 5th April 2017 at 12.15pm at The Well. Contact Jane Coles in advance for the menu (07484 064345)). New people are always welcome. It is a good social event for our villages.

GREAT BULKINGTON RAILWAY EASTER MONDAY 17th April 2017 The private miniature railway will be open for „diesel‟ powered train rides for adults and children of all ages on April 17th from 1300 until 1630 hours. Light refreshments will be served by the Ladies of Christ Church in the village hall in aid of church funds. Google „Great Bulkington Railway‟ for demo video. Twice round for only one pound – season ticket for unlimited rides £5! We are located on the corner of Mill Lane in the village of Bulkington, next to the village hall. There is a thousand feet of railway track, a 40 foot long tunnel and lots of workings signals. We have ride on carriages for our passengers. Toilets and shelter (if it rains) are available in the Village Hall. Satnav- SN10 1SW Don't forget that we offer private Birthday Parties for 20 children together with the use of the village hall for the day at reasonable cost. We take no expenses - all profits will go to Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

Nev Boulton GBR. ______

SEEND CLUBS AND ORGANISATIONS

HISTORIC HOUSES CLUB The AGM was held on Thursday March 2nd at 7.30pm. It was a well attended, lighthearted evening, accompanied by most interesting talk and slideshow from Caroline Power with reference to her considerable experience with preservation and planning matters concerning old and listed buildings. Our visits for this summer will be to Braemore House, Wilton House, Sezincote and Hinton Ampner. Please note that the suggested trip to Kensington Palace on September 11th due to unforeseen circumstances will have to be changed to a different venue. If you would like to join the club and have a good day out, our subscription remains at £4. Just contact me (01225 707357 ) or Neil Yockney (827139) for more information. Mary Warren

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SEEND SHUTTLE COMMUNITY BUS Salisbury Shopping Shuttle Trip - Wednesday 5th April Please phone Rex or Jan Gudge on 01225 706526 to book a place on the Salisbury Shopping Shuttle by Monday 3rd April.

Thanks, Rex

Seend Shuttle new revised Tuesday timetable. After a month's trial the passengers on the Tuesday morning shopping trip to Melksham via Bromham have agreed that the timetable should be revised. It was giving them too much time in town and taking up too much of the day so from March 22nd the timetable will be: Barge Inn 09:10, Cleeve Stocks 09:12, Bell Inn 09:14, Seend Lye 09:16, Three Magpies 09:20, Durlett/New Road 09:24, New Road P.O. 09:26, Minty's Top 09:28, Angell House 09:30, Town Centre 09:40, Asda arrive 09:45. Asda depart 10:45, Town Centre 10:48. Return journey via Bromham and Seend arriving at the Barge Inn approximately 11: 20 (drop offs only). This service is already proving popular and we hope with the earlier return time it will appeal to even more potential passengers.

Seend Link Annual General Meeting 10th April 2017 commencing 7:30 pm Irene Usher Pavilion - Refreshments will be provided Potential drivers or users of the scheme welcome.

SEEND COMMUNITY CENTRE NEWS

www.seendcommunitycentre.com – bookings 07703 814111

Please see events section, website and facebook for news of what‟s

happening at the Centre in April and beyond.

SEEND FAWLTY PLAYERS are pleased to announce that their 2017 panto „The Emperor‟s New Clothes‟ raised £700 for Julia‟s House Hospice in Devizes. Many thanks to all who supported us. We hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did! We have recently transferred nearly all of the old VHS videos of pantos, dating back to 1983, on to DVD, and are considering showing some of them on occasional Sunday evenings in the Community Centre. If you would be interested in watching any of these (especially if you were in them!) please call Tessa on 828617.

WESSEX FUCHSIA GROUP Tuesday April 25th, 7.45pm in the Pavilion – Derek Luther from Ferndown, currently BFS committee chairman. He will give us a Quiz evening.

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THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION This month we publish another poem written by pupils of the 2014 Sycamore Class of Seend School. This one is called Going Over the Top by Joshua Conboy Half an hour to go, While my fear was building. I was waiting in the cold deep trenches, As a lightning strike of shock shivered through my body. Will I make it? Twenty minutes to go, As I became short of breath, I was panicking; terror filling me About to go over the top… Will I make it? Ten minutes to go, Shaking as time went by, Everyone was fearful, As the moment was arriving Will I make it? Now it‟s time to go, No more thinking, And I can‟t go slow, As I was going everyone‟s hearts were pounding, Will I make it? I don‟t know.

DATES TO NOTE Next Committee Meeting: Thursday 6th April 2017. It will be held in the Kennet Room in the Community Centre commencing at 1930 hrs. Annual Lecture Saturday 6th May 2017. This will be given by John Webster, the Secretary of the Air Transport Auxiliary Association, and is entitled “Grandma Flew Spitfires”, the story of the women and boys of the ATA who delivered aircraft from the manufacturers to the Royal Air Force during World War II. It will be held in the Community Centre commencing at 7.30pm and will include a light supper. Tickets £10 (including supper) only in advance from Robin Heatley (828491), Marion Whitehead (828612) or Seend Post Office. Proceeds in aid of The Royal British Legion. Roger Brind

SEEND & DISTRICT RAMBLERS The April walk will be on Sunday April 23rd. Details of the time and starting place will be emailed to members once known, or you can call Lin and Gerald Salter, who will be leading the walk, on 01225 706451.

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SEEND WI The March meeting was our AGM. The Committee of Lynne Puntis, Jo Vaux, Fiona Johnson, Pauline Robertson, Bron Murch, Lesley Jaques and Gill Acornley were re-elected. After the business was concluded the members enjoyed a social evening with wine and nibbles.

Next month‟s meeting is on Wednesday 12th April when our speaker will be Liz Froud who is coming to talk to us about the history of Julia‟s House and plans for the future. Please do join us for what should be a very informative talk about the Devizes based project.

The next Craft afternoon is on Thursday 20th April, 2pm to 4pm in the Pavilion. You don‟t need to be a member of the WI to take part.

All meetings take place in the Pavilion, Rusty Lane, Seend at 7.30pm on the second Wednesday of the month unless otherwise notified. For more information please contact Gill Acornley on 01225 707218 or check the website www.seendwi.weebly.com 100+ CLUB DRAW The 100+ Club Draw for February took place on the 10th March 2017. The results were as follows:- Mrs J Brand No. 012 £35 Mr C Waldeck No. 142 £30 Mrs N Smart No. 190 £25 Seend Short Mat Bowls No. 055 £20 Mr P O‟Reilly No. 172 £15 Congratulations to all the winners. Don‟t forget that the 2017 draw starts on May 1st. Karen Cubberley, Lye Field Committee ______

SEEND SCHOOL NEWS

It has been great to see the children enjoying the Environment-themed activity week and exploring the great outdoors whatever the weather. Children have been bird watching and producing graphs of their findings, writing poetry, learning how to draw trees more accurately, making stick men and natural collages, and producing dance and drama to name but a few things. It was great to see so many parents looking around the classrooms on the Friday to see and hear about the work the children had been involved with during the week. Some which will form the art work that will be on show and for sale in the art exhibition on 31st March 2-4pm. The Big Spring Clean was very well timed for Activity Week. School Council members, plus a couple of other children, spent an hour on Friday 3rd picking up litter in the village. One group went from the school to the Lye Field through Dial Close to

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litter pick there. The other group of older children walked down the hill along the main road, clearing litter in the grass verges and hedges. This carried on at break and lunch times with other children also checking the school grounds for litter. In the end we collected several bags of rubbish plus some things too large for the bags! Very many thanks to all the children, and adults who helped. Congratulations to the six children in Sycamore whose Crazy Creatures stories were chosen to be published in a book. We look forward to receiving our complimentary copy to put in the library. We are expecting a special visitor called Moose, a pet therapy dog who is going to drop by each week and listen to children read. Studies have shown that children who are a bit nervous of reading out loud to an adult, are much more relaxed reading to a dog (and who wouldn‟t be?) so we are delighted to welcome Moose! The School is currently collecting Sainsbury‟s Vouchers. If anyone in the village has any spare then please feel free to pop them in through our letter box. Every little bit helps. (Oh, wrong supermarket!) After sharing details of the Family Science project, Miss Holland, our Science Subject Leader was pleased to find that a couple of children and their families are taking part. Families across Melksham have been working on science projects and on March 4th they came together to share their results. We now have on display the projects that Seend children and their parents worked on – they are very impressive. I never realised how seriously the children were going to take their responsibility in leading worship. After a few weeks of rehearsal, we were treated to the first fully child lead worship. Seven children worked together and chose the subject of bullying and through a mixture of drama, PowerPoint presentation, question and answering and prayer, they showed what bullying actually was, the effects of bullying and how to deal with it should it happen. Here is their prayer: Dear Lord, we thank you for Seend School and all the children. We thank you for the staff and that no-one is a bully. Help our school to be even more kind to each other. Also can you help other schools. Amen. Jackie Chalk, Head Teacher SEEND PLAYGROUP NEWS On World Book Day, most of the children came dressed as a favourite story character. We had the Gruffalo, Fantastic Mr Fox, Spiderman and a very smart Woody from Toy Story. Today, we have visited Little Foxes Farm. It was just down the lane so was very easy to get to. We saw sheep and lambs, goats, ducks, chickens, rabbits and some very unusual pigs. The children had a lovely time looking round. The farmer had an obvious sense of humour as there were several unusual features in unusual places to discover as we looked round.

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On Friday April 7th, the last day of term, we will be holding our Easter Bonnet Parade and Egg Hunt. There will be the usual coffee and hot cross buns for visitors, so please come and enjoy the activities - everybody welcome. The summer term begins on Monday 24th April. We will be starting a new venture – opening on a Friday afternoon until 2.45 pm; just in time to collect other children from school. Let‟s hope for some good weather so we can enjoy learning outside. We wish everybody a very happy Easter. Liz Futter 828485 (Playleader) ______

SEEND PARISH COUNCIL NB. These minutes are a shortened version of the full minutes taken at the Parish Council meeting of 28th February. These have not yet been ratified by the Parish Council and may be subject to change. A full copy of the minutes can be found on our website: www.seendparishcouncil.co.uk The meeting held on 28th February was attended by seven Councillors with Mr Murch in the chair. Apologies were received from Mrs Akerman, Mr Manning and Mr Rigg, Also present were Councillor Jonathan Seed and two members of the public. Crimes in Seend Mrs Heatley reported that she had not been given any details of local crimes by the Community Policing team, but it was reported by other councillors that there had been damage caused to the Irene Usher Hall, following a booking for a party. There were also reports of two road traffic accidents near the Lamb on the Strand and the Bell crossroads. Councillor Seed reported that Wiltshire County Council had passed its budget. They were now moving towards the elections in two months time. The minutes of the previous meeting on 31st January 2017 had been circulated to all councillors and were taken as read. Acceptance of the minutes was proposed by Mr James and seconded by Mrs A‟Bear. All approved. Matters Arising Metro Count - the Clerk reported that she had raised a Community Issue request for a Metro Count close to New Buildings in Seend Cleeve. This was reported as being “In Progress”. Councillors felt that it would be useful to know what speed cars were travelling at when going past the houses. The Bell Pub – the Clerk had had a response to her letter from Mr Lloyd Stephens, Operations Director of Wadworth. Mr Stephens stated that Wadworth is currently considering selling the Pub and the main car park area as two separate lots and had instructed Agents to prepare sales particulars for the pub at an asking price of £395,000. Councillors expressed concern that by selling the main car park as a separate plot, it would drastically reduce the viability of the pub. The Clerk was asked to write again to Mr Stephens to raise the Council‟s concern about this course of action, asking him to clarify how much parking space would be left for customers and to ask for a copy of any sales details for the pub and car park.

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Pot Holes – Mr Wood reported that some of the pot holes had been filled in Rusty Lane. He had emailed his thanks to Councillor Seed and asked if there was a chance that a Rights of Way team could return to complete the task. Councillor Seed said that it was on their list and that he would shortly be speaking with Paul Millard, Rights of Way, to raise the issue again. Councillor Seed suggested that to speed things up, the parish council ask for a full load of planings to be delivered and for volunteers to help fill in the other pot holes. Asset Register - The first draft had been circulated to Councillors. It was suggested that the register should show what assets were owned by the Parish Council and what had been donated to the village, so that responsibility for their upkeep was known. It was suggested that replacement costs be shown for all Assets. The Chairman asked that the Allotment land be valued. Two names were suggested to ask for valuations. Mrs A‟Bear suggested that as well as the Asset Register, the Parish Council should have a Green Asset Register, listing all the trees that had been planted by the council. The clerk to ask the tree surgeon who planted the trees on the council‟s behalf, to identify the locations of the trees. This would be important to establish whether responsibility for them had been transferred to the landowners. The clerk reported that the noticeboard at Rew farm was in a poor condition. It was suggested that the clerk seek the help of a local handyman or tradesperson in order to help maintain the noticeboards and benches. Salt Spreader – Having established that the machine only had a one year warranty instead of two years, Mr Wiltshire had taken the machine to a Bristol based machine repair company for assessment. They concluded that the machine was beyond repair, but that a new motor could be bought. Machine Mart would not honour any repairs or replacement as it was out of warranty. Councillors expressed concern that the machine should not have broken after one season‟s use, and was therefore, not fit for purpose. The Clerk was asked to write to Trading Standards to report it as such. Church Crossing – it was reported that this issue was in the top priority list and we were awaiting a formal quote. Canal & River Trust – the Clerk reported that she had got a contact name to write to the head office. Councillors suggested a delay in writing as there were currently very few cars at the Barge bridge. Berhills Lane - the Clerk had emailed Highways asking them to inspect the site again, but had not had a response. Photographs were circulated showing that a parking area had been created where the highways sign had been moved from. Councillor Seed said he would take it up with the Enforcement Officers of both Highways and Planning. Spout Lane – Frustration was expressed by Councillors that Wiltshire Council‟s Highways inspection of the road had implied that there was not much of a problem. In addition to the problem of the springs not being properly channelled, there were drainage issues at the top of Spout Lane by Horse Pond. It was requested that the drainage problems be put on a high priority list. Councillor Seed was asked to

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intervene. Mr Wood said he would raise it again on the MyWiltshire app. The Clerk was asked to contact Mark Stansby, Wiltshire Council Highways, and for Mr Manning to put in to the Parish Steward list. Footpaths Officer – following the resignation of Mr Vaux, there was a need to elect a new footpath officer. Mr Wood agreed to take on the role with the support of other Councillors. Parish Council Elections – the Clerk was asked to forward to all councils the procedure for Councillors to be nominated. Neighbourhood Plan Update Mrs A‟Bear reported that the group was still working on a “Vision and Objectives” statement. This would be an important statement to get right before it is published to the wider community. Aster Homes The Chairman reported that Mr Hawthorne of WYG had asked for another meeting with the Parish Council, to further discuss the amendments they have made to their housing proposals. Councillors agreed that the meeting should take place and that the Lye Field Committee and NPSG also be invited to another private meeting. It was stressed that this was not a meeting for negotiations, but again to listen to what was being proposed. A possible date of 15th March was set. Defibrillator Mr Wood reported that the CPR training sessions were going well. These were being publicised through Spotlight, Facebook and word of mouth. It was noted that any parishioners interested in attending one of these sessions and learning how to do CPR, should contact Mr Wood.

Highways

SRSI Report –Dr Knott had finalised the second draft of the report. He had kindly agreed to supply the parish council with ten copies. The Chairman offered to go through the report, to select issues that the parish council could take forward. Traffic Calming Initiative Mr John Goman presented a very interesting case example of how some parishes in South Gloucestershire were putting up additional 30mph and 20mph speed restriction signs around their parishes where there was a need for traffic calming, where highway measures were not enough. These signs had been approved by Gloucestershire County Council in a new initiative to help small parishes to reduce traffic speeds. They were not enforceable by law but advisory. Mr Goman asked Councillor Seed and the Parish Council whether the same voluntary traffic calming measures could be introduced in the parish. Councillor Seed said he would ask Wiltshire Council Highways department for their view on these signs. Mr Goman, said that feedback from parish clerks in Gloucestershire, confirmed that these signs were having a positive effect. Mr Goman also said that instead of the usual Metro Count‟s used by Wiltshire Council, in Gloucestershire, they use a different system called a M500 Radar Counter, and perhaps this too could be considered for use by the Council, as they are simpler to use and require less manpower to set up. Mr Goman was thanked for presenting a very interesting and thought provoking highways item that warranted further investigation as to its suitability for Seend.

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Lack of response from Wiltshire Council to highway concerns. The Chairman asked Councillor Seed how the Parish Council can get its highway problems taken more seriously by Wiltshire Council. Councillor Seed said he would raise the problems with Spout Lane and Berhills Lane with the Highways department and impress upon them the need for action. The Transparency Code The Clerk had been making sure that the Parish Council website had all the necessary council information to ensure its adherence to the new audit and transparency regimes that come into full force in April. The clerk to review and update the Standing Orders and to make sure it is dated when it is re-adopted. Rights of Way Issues Seen6 and Seen27 footpaths – Mr Wood said that he had looked at these two footpaths and reported that the gate/stile were in a mess and that the stile needed replacing. The Clerk to write to the landowner requesting that he erect a new stile. Love’s Lane The Clerk had received an email from the landowner of the fields on the left hand side of Love‟s Lane leading down to Inmarsh. Following issues with dogs roaming freely in the fields, and dog fouling, the landowner has put up signs urging dog walkers to stick to the rights of way only. The farmer who rents the land has expressed concern that the grass which is grown for silage is being contaminated with dog faeces and presents a danger to livestock who are fed the contaminated grass. Planning Matters Application Ref: 16/12469/WCM Site: Land at Snarlton Farm, Snarlton Lane, Melksham SN12 7QP Proposal: Erection of on-farm Anaerobic Digestion plant for agricultural/food waste with weighbridge, combined heat and power unit, gas network entry facility, concrete apron, landscaping, land-re-profiling and associated infrastructure and new access created off A3102. Councillors discussed this planning application at length. It was proposed by Mr James and Seconded by Mr Wood, that the planning application be opposed on the highway grounds. This response was approved. Application Ref: 17/01297/TCA Application for Work to Trees in a Cons Area Site: Nornour, High Street, Seend, Melksham SN12 6NR Proposal:- T1 - Maple - Reduce crown by 35%. T2 - Silver Birch - 20% reduction T3 - Conifer - Reduce by 30%, T4 - Holly - Reduce by 1 metre,T5 - Laburnum - Reduce by 20% Mrs Carr and Mrs Heatley declared an interest and abstained from voting. Acceptance of the planning application was proposed by Mrs A‟Bear and seconded by Mr Wood. Passed unanimously. Financial Matters: Bank reconciliation to end of January 2017 is: £16,156.41

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Annual Parish Meeting –Tuesday 16th May. The Clerk was asked to book the Irene Usher Hall and to notify the village clubs and Spotlight. The Clerk would need to prepare an annual report. It would be at this meeting that the Chairman is elected. The dates of the next two meetings are: Tuesday 28th March and Tuesday 25th April at 7.30pm Seend Community Centre. A full version of the minutes can be found on: www.seendparishcouncil.co.uk

WILTSHIRE COUNCIL NEWS This is the last message from me as your Councillor in this term of Wiltshire Council. The next parish magazine will be distributed after the elections and I hope that I will still be your Wiltshire Councillor. Wiltshire Council has now set its budget with a modest council tax rise. Sound financial management when central government has reduced Wiltshire funding by £120million allows many of our services and projects to continue. Our libraries and leisure centres remain open and the vulnerable in our community are looked after. There has been a great deal of progress on local issues and projects. Melksham Oakfields Sports stadium has been built by Wiltshire Council and handed over to the football and rugby clubs for their management, future funding and use. The Melksham Campus preparation of the market square is almost complete and the new Melksham skatepark is nearing completion. Projects that have involved partnership with local groups include the interactive road safety signs in Seend High Street, restarting Poulshot Village Cricket, heating for the kitchen in Great Hinton village hall, new kitchen works in Semington village hall, disabled toilet facilities at the Acreshort Lane hut in Steeple Ashton, Keevil railings and bin repairs, and essential help for Bulkington War memorial restoration. Even in these austere times funding can be found for worthy local projects - if there is a strong will and sound financial management is in place. [email protected] , 07770774463 ______

SEEND SPORTING AND DRAMATIC NEWS

Tennis : Chair Elaine Davies. The league matches start in the week of 24th April. Pam Akerman (828969) will captain and organise the women's team, Ric Ellinger (828687) will do the same for the mixed team and Frankie Goddard (828488) the men's. Anyone who is keen to play please let the respective captains know soon. Finally Ric tells me that subs for this coming season will remain the same as last year ie Family £75, Individual Adult £32, Junior £8...... a bargain !

Skittles : reporter Josh Hamblin. The end of the season is nigh and whilst the A team should preserve their position at the top of the premiership it looks as if both the B and C teams are well placed for possible promotion. No doubt Josh will have all the details for next month's edition.

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The Boards : Congratulations to all who made the village panto such a success again this year. I understand that particular mention must go to Christopher Waylen.

Well done all. (No favouritism please. Ed.)

Short Mat Bowls : first aider : Colin Waldeck. I went up to watch the boys in action in a home match last week and I listened carefully as Colin took me through the basics of what he still insists is a sport that helps with coordination and dexterity and hence, he felt, something that I might consider taking up once retirement more forcibly beckons. I was momentarily attracted, but then Colin is an excellent salesman....and it was his round. He asked me bluntly if I could think of any finer way to spend a Thursday evening than joining the lads rolling woods down the green carpet to a backdrop of the clinking of glasses and the singing of some favourite sea shanties. Sadly I could.....but not before I had a go, at Colin's insistence, and after a further glass of a fine Chianti, at a crucial stage of the match. Sorry about the result Colin, the less said the better, but I feel that the opposition's anchor man was way out of order in insisting on seeing some form of identification as I tried to beat a hasty, and tactical, retreat just because I had a slight mishap with my first throw. He should not have been standing so close. Please go ahead with the written apology, but stick to the line that you don't know my name but you think that I could be from Bromham. Thanks. All results, fixtures and sporting news to the members bar by star wars day plus ten please. (I think that means 15th April. Ed.) Frankie Goddard, 828488 ______

PERSONAL ADS (Small personal ads - not from businesses - can be left at the Post Office or delivered to Tessa Doe at 6 New Buildings with payment of £2 please.)

Greenhouse for sale Eden 14' x 8' VGC. £800 Seend 827137. Six years old, safety glass, auto vents and louvres. Buyer dismantles. Reason for sale: house sold, new owner doesn't want the greenhouse. ______

BITS AND BOBS

Lavington Community Choir Concerts: 14th July (including West Side Story and Gilbert & Sullivan selections) and 8th December. Northern Harmony will return on 26th September. Details to follow. If you would like to join the choir please contact [email protected] or [email protected].

Keevil Church Palm Sunday, April 9th at 3pm Stainer’s Crucifiwion, vith Voice Bow and the Keeuil Singers

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Cantamus Chamber Choir – Spring Concert - Ballade to the Moon. An evening of choral music inspired by the sun, moon and stars at Holy Trinity Church, Bradford on Avon on Saturday 13th May, 7.30pm. Tickets: £10 /£5 students and U18s available from Wiltshire Music Centre 01225 860100 or www.wiltshiremusic.org.uk. ______Edington Arts Saturday May 6th, Edington Priory Church 7.30pm The Welsh Sinfonia Wind Quintet. Tickets are £20/£15/10, 18 and under come free; Edington Angels have a 10% discount. Add £2 per ticket if you buy on the door. Book by phoning 01380 831256

or emailing [email protected] ______Calne Choral - Vivaldi: Beatus Vir RV 597 for solo voices, two orchestras, and two choruses in four parts Will Todd: The Lord is my Shepherd; Hummel: Mass in B flat for full chorus 7.30pm, Saturday 1st April 2017. St. Andrew‟s Church Chippenham, SN15 3HT. ______

WILTSHIRE MUSIC CENTRE - April dates: Wed 5th 8pm Barry Cryer & Ronnie Golden Sat 8th 7.30 pm City of London Sinfonia Sun 9th 3pm The Ugly Swanling Storytelling and live music for little ones Tue 11th 7.15pm The Royal Ballet: Jewels (livestream) Wed 12th 7.30pm The Shee Traditional Scottish folk and bluegrass six-piece Sat 22nd 7.30pm Melvyn Tan Piano recital Sun 23rd 3pm London Swing Orchestra “Mad Dogs and Englishman” Fri 28th 7.30pm David Starkey Henry VIII: Tudors, tyrants and today th Sat 29 7.30pm Thomas Gould Violin / Gwilym Simcock Piano

You can visit wiltshiremusic.org.uk for more details or call 01225 860 100 to book. ______White Horse Opera – spring concert in memory of Michael Oliver Friday 31st March in Devizes Town Hall, 7.30pm..

THE SEEND FUND – Your local fund Remember the Seend Fund is your local fund. Anyone living in or closely associated with Seend can apply by e-mailing the secretary ([email protected]) or writing to her at 34 Seend Cleeve, Melksham SN12 6PY. If you find yourself in financial difficulties the fund might be able to help with anything from school uniforms to heating bills. Don't hesitate to send details, saying how much you need, what it is for and when you need it by. Even if the fund has helped you before, your request will be sympathetically and confidentially considered. Although the fund is intended to help individuals, if there are any organisations or groups who need support to include someone with special needs in an educational activity, or who know of members who are struggling financially, the Fund may be able to help.

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Dogs for Adoption Dogs in Romania seek their forever home. Photos are available. Please call Sarah on 07921 801370 or visit: https://www.facebook.com/K9Angels http://k-9angels.org/ ______Grittleton Plant & Food Fair Sunday 28th May 2017 from 11am – 3pm Grittleton House, Grittleton, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 6AP

Stall enquiries to Tracey Edwards T 01225 776691 E [email protected]

Wiltshire Sight Treasurer Wanted Wiltshire Sight is an innovative, progressive local charity based in Devizes supporting people living with sight loss in Wiltshire and Swindon. They assist more than 2,500 people of all ages, as well as their families and carers. The current Treasurer is at the end of his term of office, this means they require a new volunteer to join the Board of Trustees and support them in the coming years. They are looking for someone with a strong grasp of charity accounting or who has experience of managing multiple complex budgets. An understanding of managing an investment portfolio and accounting software (xero) would also be beneficial. You will have the opportunity to use your experience to help the charity make a real difference to the lives of people living with sight loss in Wiltshire and Swindon. Full training and support will be offered to the successful applicant. Applications from people whose lives are affected by sight loss are encouraged. Informal discussions with Chief Executive, Leanne Hubbard are welcome. Expressions of interest and CVs should be emailed to [email protected]

STEEPLE ASHTON FILMS: Saturday 22nd April at Steeple Ashton Village Hall SULLY: MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON (12) starring Tom Hanks. 7.30pm (doors open at 7pm for refreshments). Tickets £6 from Steeple Ashton Village Shop or to reserve tickets in advance call Alison Wilson on 01380 871345.

SUMMER VISITORS A reminder that it‟s shortly the nesting season for house martins, swifts and swallows. The RSPB website (rspb.org.uk) has advice on how to encourage swallows and house martins to nest. These birds are, of course, protected species. It is an offence to disturb or destroy their nest sites and environments.

Road closure: A section of the A342 between Dunkirk Hill and Rowde will be closed during the day between 26th April and 5th May.

And finally…

May the Easter bunny of benevolence bring you the chocolate egg of euphoria. Happy Easter to all our readers.

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USEFUL CONTACTS: Please tell Spotlight if your group’s contact details change Church: Retired Priest: Jane Knowles, 01380 870235. Benefice Administrator: Mrs Sue Taylor 01225 709360. Churchwardens: Holy Cross Seend: Mrs Anne Ewing, 01380 828557, Mrs Tina Yockney 01380 827139; Christ Church Bulkington: Mrs Liz Futter 828485, Mrs Anne Saywell 828931; LPAs: Jane Goman 827121, Liz Futter 828485, Rosie Forsey 828843, Len Murray 828513, Sue Noad 870433, Sue Rose 871665 & Tina Yockney 827139. Bell Tower Captain: L Murray 828513. Irene Usher Memorial Hall (The Pavilion) Bookings - Richard Walker on 828250 Bulkington Village Hall - Nev Boulton 828101 or Roger Futter 828485 Bulkington Playing Field: Chairman Jamie Streeter, 828835, [email protected] Seend Community Centre/Club - 828796 (7.30-11pm only). Bookings: 07703 814111. Website: www.seendcommunitycentre.com and find us on facebook Seend Shuttle: Bookings and drivers: Alison Cobbing 07951030491 or 01380 850511 Seend Parish Council Clerk – Mrs Sue Bond 07706 850859 www.seendparishcouncil.co.uk Seend’s Wiltshire Councillor - Jonathon Seed 01380 850695 [email protected] Seend village website: www.seend.org.uk - Neil Yockney 827139. Seend School - 828334 Bulkington Website: www.bulkington.org.uk Rights of Way Warden – Paul Millard, 01225 712821 Community Beat Manager for Seend PC Emily Thomas. Tel: 101, or e-mail [email protected]. Seend Fund: 01380 828757 MP Claire Perry, 01380 729358 (M-F 9.30am-1pm) [email protected] MEP - Graham Watson 01458 252265. Melksham Area Board – 07917 721371

100+Club Draw – Karen & Steve Cubberley – [email protected] - tel: 828423 Book Clubs - the original: Sylvia Ewin 828325 - the other: Frank Teasdale 828617 Bouncy Club - Paulette Pardoe 07944 300350 Cricket Club - John Wiltshire 07791 144248 Fawlty Players Panto Group - Tessa Doe 828617& find Seend Village Pantomime on facebook Fete – Nick Vaux - [email protected] (www.seendfete.co.uk) Flower Show – Brian Jaques 827137 FoSS (Friends of Seend School) Mel Steel 07739 899741 Historic Houses Club - Mary Warren 01225707357 or Neil Yockney 827139 LINK Scheme - 075320 55560 Lye Field Committee – www.seendlyefield.org Neighbourhood Watch - Brian Hunt (Seend) 828581; Cavan Moroney (Sells Green) 828606; Owen Burton (Seend Cleeve) 828820; John Scott (Bulkington) 828026. Preschool - Liz Futter 828485 Poetry Group - Tessa Doe 828617 Ramblers - Gerald Salter 01225 706451 Royal British Legion - Roger Brind 828830 Seend Singers - Bob McCulloch 828508 Short Mat Bowls Club - Colin Waldeck 828946 Tennis Club - Ric Ellinger 828687 Theatre Club - Sylvia Ewin 828325; Marion Whitehead 828612 WEA – Tessa Doe 828617 Wheelchairs to borrow - Sue and Graham Jones in Seend Cleeve, tel: 01380 828354 WI - Fiona Johnson on 828401 and Gill Acornley 01225 707218 Wine Circle – Steve Parsons 07974 347487 or Simon McManus 07896 711764

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Seend Post Office

------& Village Store 01380 828250

NEWSPAPERS & MAGAZINES FRESH FRUIT & VEGETABLES WINES BEERS & SPIRITS GROCERIES THE HEALTH LOTTERY POSTCARDS & STATIONERY

Village Store Post Office

Mon 9.00 - 5.30 9.00 - 5.30 Tues 9.00 - 5.30 9.00 - 5.30 Wed 9.00 - 5.30 9.00 - 4.30*

Thurs 9.00 - 1.00 9.00 - 1.00 Fri 9.00 - 5.30 9.00 - 5.30 Sat 8.30 - 1.00 9.00 - 1.00 Sun 9.00 - 10.30 Closed Bank 9.00 - 10.30 Closed Holidays * note early closing 26